Uptown
by labyrinths
Summary: AU: One-off. In a Vegas ruled by vampires, human Amy meets Jerry Dandridge.


**Uptown**

**By Hedge Labyrinth**

AU: One-off. In a Vegas ruled by vampires, human Amy meets Jerry Dandridge.

The rain was growing stronger. Amy huddled beneath the bush shelter, checking her watch every couple of minutes. The bus should have come by already. But it was a bad section of town and it's not like the bus drivers cared to follow the schedule in this area.

If only Charley had picked her up…but his motorcycle was busted. Again.

Amy couldn't even call a taxi because she hadn't loaded up her cellphone. She was short on cash, anyway. It's not like she might have afforded a taxi.

A car rolled by, packed with a bunch of teenagers.

"Hey, hottie! Why don't you come here and suck me? Better yet: I suck you!" one of them yelled, flashing pointy fangs at her.

God. It must be the late hour which brought out such weirdos.

"Eff you!" she yelled, taking out her can of garlic mace and lifting it up for them to see.

The vampires yelped happily and kept on rolling, their laughter echoing down the empty street.

Amy sighed. She really needed to switch to the day shift. But new employees all got started on graveyards. She needed the money. She had to stick to it.

"You know, that's really not going to do much of anything," someone said.

Amy turned around, taken aback. A guy in a simple black shirt was calmly reclining against the bus shelter, looking as though he'd been there all along.

"Yeah…well, let's not find out shall we?" she said.

"I mean, you should break the seal if you intend to use it, girl."

Amy blinked. She looked at the can. Of course. She'd forgotten about that. Amy twisted the top, breaking the seal.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"Though it still wouldn't do much of anything," he said casually.

Amy frowned. She sat down on the plastic bench beneath the shelter, nervously tapping her foot.

"Where are you headed?"

"Home."

"What part of town?"

"Uptown," she lied. "To my father's place."

Like she would even afford to live uptown. But maybe if he thought she had some cash, if he thought she was the daughter of some big shot who was just slumming it for the night, he might be intimidated and leave her alone.

"Really?"

There was something both playful and unsettling about his voice, as though he was trying to size her up. Amy brushed a strand of stray hair away from her face.

"That's my car there," he said, casually pointing at an old convertible. They kind they had in the 60s. "I'm asking because I can give you a ride."

"I'm not an idiot and you're a vampire," she replied dryly.

It was easy to tell. Who else would be walking around without a jacket in such a chilly night, looking all pale?

"Well, Amy, it seems to me you've got about a half hour in the cold without this vampire," he said, his voice all smooth and velvety.

"How did you know my name?" she asked, startled. Could he read her thoughts? Was that urban legend true?

He leaned forward, as if willing to share a secret.

"Name tag," he whispered.

Of course. She was still wearing the uniform. Christ, she'd forgotten. This is what happened when you worked the late shift and barely had two hours of sleep during the daytime...again. Amy felt like slamming her hand against her forehead. She contended herself with scowling and blushing a bright crimson.

"I've heard of vamps who drain girls dry," she said. "It seems to me it's a lot safer for me to take the bus home."

"Safer. But not very fun."

Amy crossed her arms, chuckling. "I grew up in Vegas. Fun is overrated."

"My, and I thought you'd be—"

"Easy?"

"Interesting," he replied smoothly, as if relishing every syllable. "Like a girl with a sense of adventure."

"Leave me alone or I'll mace you."

It was very cold. He sat down on the bench, leaving space for a third person between them. Amy tried not to shiver, tried to ignore him.

"You know, if I _really_ wanted to drain you dry I'd done it already," he said, stretching his legs. "It's not like anyone's watching."

The street was eerily dark. She could see the glow of a TV set in an apartment building across the street, but all the other lights were dimmed.

"Even if someone was watching, it's not like anyone would do anything."

Amy tightened her grip around her can of mace, wondering how fast a vampire could run. How fast she could run.

"Point being…I'm not trying to have you for dinner," he added.

Amy turned her head and stared at him. He was wickedly handsome, his looks enhanced by the cruel little smile he was flashing her. A toothy grin.

"I'll still pass on the ride."

"Then, I guess it'll be a soggy wait. Though if I may offer you a piece of advice: buy holy water. Garlic mace is really, really useless."

"Thanks," she muttered.

He stood up and for some reason she thought of standing up, too. As if to bid him goodbye. She anchored herself safely upon the bench, glancing down at her scuffed shoes.

"Here. Look me up next time you're uptown," he said, taking out a business card and handing it to her with two fingers.

She grabbed it, reading the name printed on it. Jerry Dandridge, it said, his address beneath.

_Jerry Dandridge_. She'd seen that name in the papers. It was one of those vampire big shots. The kind of guys who hung around Club Radio and would have had their pictures printed in the society pages, if only one could _take_ photos of vampires. Or shoot videos of them.

Amy looked up. He grinned at her.

"Good night, girl," he said as he slid into his car.

Three, maybe five minutes later, the bus arrived. Amy climbed in and took a window seat. She dozed off and when she woke up, she was almost at her stop. Amy straightened up. The business card, which she had been unconsciously gripping between her hands, fell to the floor.

She looked at it, blinking, and considered just leaving it there.

But then she bent down to scoop it into her jacket's pocket.

END


End file.
